1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to neck rests, and more particularly to neck rests used with sinks that support the neck in a reclined position as the head is placed in the sink for hair treatment, shampooing, or rinsing.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a person's head is tilted rearward into a sink for shampooing or rinsing, the neck is arched rearward and supported by the sides of the sink. Because the hair is soaked with shampoo and water and scrubbed, considerable stress is placed on the back of the neck. If the neck is held in the position too long, the person's neck muscles may become fatigued and blood flow through the neck may be impeded. In some instances, this can cause light-headedness or dizziness.
Vibrating neck rests that support a user's neck over the edge of a sink when shampooing the user's hair is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,297 discloses a neck pillow with an internal vibrating mechanism designed to massage the neck muscles when the user's neck is placed on the sink. The vibrating mechanism is made up of a plurality of balls aligned in rows that extend transversely over the pillow's neck supporting surface. The balls in each row are mounted on a transversely aligned rod. The center ball in each row is also mounted on a longitudinally aligned rotating center rod that includes an eccentric. When the center rod is rotated, the eccentric also rotates which causes the center ball to move upward, downward and laterally. The adjacent balls located on the same row wiggle back and forth thereby vibrating the user's neck.
It is this inventor's belief that the vibrational mechanism used in the prior art does not adequately massage the back of the user's neck for several reasons. First, the vibrating action of the mechanisms, do not deeply penetrate the neck. Second, such mechanisms do not promote blood flow in the neck when the head is held in a reclined position over a sink.